Safety-vent for tank-cars.



W.QB.SHA.RP. .SAFETY VENT 1to1; TANK GARS.l APPLIUATIONQILBD'JAN.12.190e.

Patented June 8,1909;

,8 BHEETSfBHEET 1.

' W. E. SHARP. SAFETY VENT FOR TANK GARS. APPLIoArIoN FIL@ JANLlz. 1909,

Patented June 8, l190.9.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

30 objectionable,'. as it admits dirt to the inside 4 of the tank, and in rough usage the oil ,or `other material handled In a tank equipped with such a vent will splash out to a greater' or less extent, and 'there is, therefore, a lia- 'f TED STATES mais 4ortica.

WILLIAM E. SHARP', OF

eHIoAGO, ILLINOIS, AsisIGNon or ONE-'HALF To GEORGE B.

RoBBIns, or HINsDALE, ILLINoIs.

SAFETY-VENT Foa TANK-carts.

valves set to open ata specified pressure; for

tanks carrying volatile or vnon-inflannnable materlals, vents depending on frangible lead disks for safety; and `for tank cars carrying,

non-inflammable or non-volatile materials, a .small splash vent of not less than two inches 1n `d1ameter.

0n account' of the cost of application and expense for inspection-and tests, the, application ofA a safety valvetotank ears ofthe above-mentioned character is not desirable,

provided a satisfactory open vent can be emp'loyed. ,It has beenfdemonstrated: by test that a two-inch vent hole inthe dome or cover, while meeting thereqirements of the M. C. B. specifications, .is at the same time bility to loss on account of such an opening. To meetv all'of the-requirements of vthe M. C. B. specnications, to provide an open vent 'which will protectthe car owner and shipper against lloss on account of slopping out, as well as,on account of the admission of' dirt to the inside of the car through the vent, and to provide' a vent that will meet all of these requirements at a minimum `cost for the original application, and'will not require any expense for inspection andfrepairs 'and maintenance, I have designed. ,the vventeonstituting the subject-matter of thepresent application, which, in its general character, comprises a cowl-like structure .having a hollow o r tbular neck adaptedtobe screwedor otherwise secured in a vent opening inthe dome cover of the tank car, .and a hollow head having` a vent passage to the'atmosnliere of a cross-sectional area at all point-s i Speccationof Letters latentl Application led January 12, 1909. 4SerialvNo. 471,855.

matter ,from "the outside.

provided Vith interior transverse partitions 119 Patented June 8, 1909.

'not less than the cross-sectional area of the neck, and internalbailes and pockets which are so formed' and disposed as'to arrest and cause to flow back the voil or other material that may splash upwardly through the neck. The device also, in its-most complete and preferred form, includes a .baffle-'or deflector located adjacent to the mouth of the 'vent Opening designed to arrest the particles of dust, dirt or other foreign matter that may tend to enter the vent-passage.

My invention will be readily understood .when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings which.i llustrate an approved mechanical .embodiment thereof, and in which- Figure 1-is an elevationalview of one-half of the dome cover of a tank carWi-th my improved safety vent applied-thereto. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the safetyvent in a directionlongitudinally of the car. Fig. 3 is a'vertical section through thesafety Vent in a direction transverse to the ca r, onthe line 3-3 of Fig.- 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows. Fig. 4 .is a View similar to: Fig. 3 on the line 4-4 of Fig 2l'ooking in the' direction indicated by the arrows. Fig. 5- is a horizontal section on thevoffset line 54-5 of Fig. 2, looking downwardly.

Referringto the drawings, 5 designates the dome cover of a tank car provided as usualwith the threaded flange 6 by which it is screwed' into thevtop of the dome `to close the usual y.nm-nhole :opening therein. In 'a 90 two-inch internally 4threaded vent opening` 7 intheV dome cover isiscrewed the threaded neck or shank `8 of my improved vent protector or housing. This device comprises a generally cowl-like casting having the 'threaded ,neck S, above -mentioned, -for 'application to the-dome' cover, and a head 9 extended laterally of said/neck on all sides and cored in such a mannerias to provide a vent passage to the atmosphere having at all 100 points thereof va erosssectional area not less than that afforded by a circular opening of the diameter of the neck, but which passage is of such form and direction as to check the splashingout therethroughv of the contents 3F05 of the car, as well as to arrest and prevent the ingressjto anyappreciable extent, of dirt, sand, and other objectionable foreign The head is also or baille-plates so formed and located as to coperate in preventing the splashing of the ggcontents oftheca-r through the vent passage,

the' latter a 'throat or swellasproviding pockets/so formed and located ast-'o catch and return so much of the contents of the car as may, under rough handling of a loaded car, splash up through the neck into the head.

More specifically describing the internal formation of the head, .it will be observed that-substantially one-half of the circular wall of the neck is extended upwardly int-o.

the head and curved inwardly over the upper end of the neck, thereby forming a baille- Z plate integral with which are lateral wings 10a (Figs. 3 and 5) that extend to the-side walls of the head. The free edge .11 of the baille 10 lies opposite theslanting portion 12 of the rear wall of the head and forms with passageway 13 from the neck 8.

Depending' from the top Wall of the head above the passageway 13 is'a transversely curved baille-plate 14 which extendsfrom sidev to side of the head and forms, in combination Withthe upright portion. 15 of the rear wal-l of the head, a pocket or cul de sac' 16. On the upper surface of the baille-plate 10 and its wings`1 .0a

is formed an upwardly extending rib or baille 17, said baille projecting across the main vent passage formed v between the top and side walls of the head constitutes the baille 10.

head. are slanting or inclined, as shown at 21; said slanting walls forming a junction with vertical transverse walls 22 which extend between Ythe outer sides of the semicircular mouth 20 and the vertical edges of the upward extension of the neck. This in- I ternal construction forms, between the walls 21 and 22 and the wings 10 of the bafile l0, a pair of lateral pockets 23 of substantially triangular forni, the-open mouths of which, as in the case of the pocket 16, are directed toward and deliver into the neck 8 whereby any material splashing upwardly through the neck and lodging in said pockets. is readily drained back.

, The innerer lower wall of the portion 19 of the vent passage is formed with a'. semicircular downwardly and forwardly projecting ledge 24 that extends partially across the mouth 20 of the passage and constitutes an effective baffle-plate to catch and arrest dirt, sand and other foreign matter that tends tobe blowninto the mouth of the vent passage. 'lhe transverse baille 17 in a nicasure also contributes to this result, as it serves to impede both the entrance ot foreign mai'- ier and the discharge of the contents of the ear outwardly through the vent passage.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the severa-l baflles and pockets formed on the interior of the head or cowl are adapted to effectually arrest and return any liquid that may splash up through the neck of the device; While at the same time the device provides a free vent opening through the throat 18, vent passages 18, 19, and open mouth 20, which opening at all points thereof is given a. cross-sectional area fully meetving the requirements above .referred to, so

that any .gases rising from the material within the car can find a free opening to the atmosphere, and the generation of any conne'd pressure within the car is obviated. The ledge 24 constitutes the chief means for preventing the ingress of dirt and foreign matter, although the baille 17 also coperates to some extent in arresting such small quantities of dirt Aor sand as may get past the baille 24, thus making the device practically dirt proof.

I claim:

1. A safety vent for tank cars, comprising a cowl-like structure having a hollow neck adapted to be mounted in a vent opening, and a hollow head in free communication with and extended laterally of said neck,

' and provided on its under side with a mouth open to the atmosphere.

2. A 'safety vent for tank cars, comprising a cowl-like.structurehaving a hollow neck adapted to be mounted in a vent opening, and a hollow head in free communication with andextended laterally of said neck, said head having on its under side a month open tothe atmosphere and'l an internal baflle overlying and partially covering sald hollow neck.

3. A safety vent for tank cars, comprising a cowl-like structure having a tubular neck adapted to be mounted in a vent opening. and a hollow head in free communication;

with and extended laterally of said neck on all sides` and having on its under side a lmouth 'open'to the atmosphere, .said head being further provided directly over said tubular neck with an in'ternal baille formed by an upwardly and inwardly directed extension of that portion ofjthe wall of said tubular neck .lying adjacent to said mouth.

4. A safety vent for tank cars, comprising a cowl-like structure having a tubular neck adapted to be mounted in a vent opening, and a hollow head in free communication with and extended laterally of said neck ,on

all sides and having a vent passage terminating in a mouth open tothe atmosphere, said head being further provided directly over said tubular neck with an internal baffle formed-hy an upwardly 'and inwardly l .i directed extension othat portion of thewall vof said tubularfneck lying 'adjacent to' said mouth, and, opposite the free edge of municating. with saidr neck.

said extension, with a dependingbaiie con-- sti'tuting a" portion of the'wall of the vent passage and alsofforming, on the side of the head remote from the mouth, a pocket com- 5. A safety vent for tank cars, comprising -a cowl-like structure having a tubular neck adapted [to be mounted in avent opening,

and hollow head 'in free communication with and extended laterally' of'said'neck on all sides, said hollow head having a vent passage communicating with said neck and the atmosphere;respectively, andl a plurality l of baffles adapted to arrest thev flow ofliquid outwardly of said passage and cause the same to flow back through said tubular neck. 6. 'A safety vent for tank cars, comprising a cowl-like structure having a tubular neck adapted to be mounted in a vent opening,

and a'hollo'w` head in free communication with and extended laterally of said neekon all sides, said hollow 4head having ,a vent passage communicating with said.A neck and v the atmosphere, respectively, and one. or'

more' pockets the open ends whereof lie toward said neck lwhereby to drain back into the latter any liquid caught therein;

A safety vent for tank carsQvcomprising 'a cowl-like structure having a tubular neck adapted torbe mounted in -a vent opening,

and a hollow head in free communication with and extended laterally of said neck on all sides, said `hollow head having a vent passage communicating with said neck and 'the atmosphere, respectively, and a plurality of transverse walls 'forming with the outer shell of the' head rear and side pockets having open ends communic'a-tingl freely with said neck-whereby to drain back into the bale, the lowerend whereof communicates 'd through an'openmouth 'with the atmosphere, and one o r more dust-excluding deectors formed on the walls of said vent passage and projecting into'thelatter.

Witnesses: v, t SAMUEL N. Penn, MA'rrm VB. Buss'.

-wiLLiAM n. SHARP.' 

